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Explore the frontier of materials processing with revolutionary approaches that alter composition and properties of materials, leading to new and improved materials with unique characteristics. Discover the potential of structural nanotubes, ageless materials, and combinatorial processing.
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Revolutionary Materials Processing Dennis M. Bushnell Chief Scientist NASA LaRC
Materials Processing • Alters the shape and/or the composition/properties of a material or an object, “transformation of input materials into a product” • In the current/ conventional case produces inclusions, dislocations, micro cracks which degrades strength by a factor of 20ish. • Is shifting in real time from “cutting” to Accretion • Is far more of an empirical art than a scientific technology [ e.g. physics/ chemistry of nano tube formation still unknown]
The Usual Materials Processing Approaches • Thermal, incl. via lasers • Chemical • Pressure • Impact • Microwave • Ion Beam • Mechanical “Cutting”/Shear • Ultrasound • Microgravity • Explosive Forming • ‘Flow” Processes • Electric Fields
Revolutionary Materials Processing Approaches • Controlling material properties at the NANO Scale……By assembling at the Nano scale • ‘Printing” writ large, any way or how, “additive manufacturing” [ on the way to atom-by-atom Molecular Manufacturing] • Production of “Nano Tubes”, other Nano Materials, e.g. Graphene etc. • Ionizing Radiation, High Strength Magnetics, Plasma, Bio processes, LENR, Fast to Explosive Shear/Compression • Quantum State Modification….., LENR Transmutations
The usual, current approach to materials processing is to utilize one or perhaps two of the techniques. There are no extant cases discovered wherein multiple [ up to the some 17 methods available] were applied either sequentially of simultaneously. There are some 17! Possible combinatorials. Such combinations could/ should produce materials with quite different and possibly interesting properties, worth exploring this terra incognita, both experimentally and computationally…….
As an example of what combinational processing approaches can produce, the combination of shear and compression has [ from both theory and experiment] collapsed electronic band gaps and produced materials with several orders of magnitude faster , and cold, chemistry, a superb spark plug.This field of energetics is termed Structural or Strain Bond Energy Release [ SBER]. Also, such combinations produce, for cracks, E-M emissions suitable for NDE evaluation, used on assembly lines in parts of Asia.
Some Potential Materials Processing “Maidens Prayers”, Revolutionary Outcomes • Structural Nano tubes, contiguous tube assemblages that exhibit the strength of the individual tubes, order[s] of magnitude above that of usual materials. • “Ageless Materials”, Resultant materials which lack the usual collection of dislocations, nano cracks, inclusions etc. that degrade the properties of conventional materials. • Trabecular Bird Bone Etc. Structural Members
Potential “Ways Forward” for ‘Ageless Materials” • Printing, ala work at “Livermore” at a scale above, but close as feasible to molecular manufacturing, with extreme care taken to control material micro/ nano structure • Combinatorial Materials processing approaches, which/ what TBD
Potential Ways Forward for Structural Nano Tubes • Determine the physics, chemistry etc of the nano tube formative processes and investigate such for potential alterations which could produce far better materials than the current nano tube composites • Combinational Materials Processing approaches, Which/ What TBD • “Zipper Mechanism”, Stone-Wales bond rearrangements [rotations], merging of smaller tubes into larger ones • Applying Electron Beams at elevated Temperature, Frenkel pair defects/ covalent links • Interstitial B atoms, acting as “atomic Welders”….. • Combined external stimuli/ tuned molecular designs
In the process of conducting such Revolutionary Materials Processing research, which is on the frontiers of the current SOA, we should discover, stumble over, unearth, produce materials with very different and possibly extremely useful properties, characteristics. [ Ala Goodyear and his discovery of the vulcanization of rubber]. Need to, for each new combinational result, determine the characteristics of the resultant materials.
Of Interest…. • DARPA ‘Atoms to Product” Project, Creating Manufacturing, Materials processing approaches between Nano and current industrial practice[ E-9 to E-3 meters]. • The Livermore work , creating/ Printing assemblages of ever smaller discrete structural elements [ ordered micro-structure] • Materials “design” [ and fabrication?] at the Quantum level, Also via Machine learning technologies/ “Big Data”…and ab initio design incl. solid-to-solid transformations
Some Additional Opportunities wrt Materials Design/ Processing - 1 • Syn Bio/ Bio extraction, processing, fabrication/ products, NASA ARC has excellent efforts on all aspects of this putative “New Age” in materials. If utilize for Mars ISRU can adopt the Russian Design approach of clunky, add thickness/ weight where needed as do not have to haul the stuff from Earth.
Some Additional Opportunities wrt Materials Design/ Processing - 2 • Nano Inclusions in Materials to produce multifunctional materials that , instead of degrading, IMPROVES the material performance/ cost/weight/maintenance as add structural strength/ endurance, sensing, actuation, computing, energy storage [ chemicals, electrical]
